


Chicken Nuggets

by boolarus



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: M/M, chicken nuggets
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-08
Updated: 2016-04-16
Packaged: 2018-05-25 11:08:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6192658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boolarus/pseuds/boolarus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren had a bad day, week, month, year, and so did Armin. Food brought them together in aisle six. </p><p>A birthday present that keeps on givin' for a vegetarian.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Eren wasn't having his ideal day. As he stood at the end of the frozen aisle he tried to forget the horrors he had faced. He was in pursuit of one thing, just one food item in particular. Chicken nuggets. 

He didn't give a crap if they were organic, vegan, whole grain, or biodegradable, he just wanted some god damn chicken nuggets. After he got fired from his hell of a job, Eren really stopped caring. His sweatpants and baggy sweatshirt said enough.

Now approaching the other side of aisle six was another fellow in pursuit of whatever-he-can-get-his-hands-on chicken nuggets. All Armin wanted to do was get the chicken nuggets, go home, cry while watching _Toy Story_ , and stuff his face with the delicious breaded chicken. Armin is a cryer, he cries a lot but normally for other people. Today he was crying for himself.

The two men faced each other, like two rival hunters. Each knew the others prey, and the simple hunt quickly became a competition. 

Armin and Eren bolted for the glass double doors containing the only box of chicken nuggets left. Dinosaurs. It must have been a busy day for soccer moms everywhere.

They flung open the doors and grabbed the box.

"Oh hell no!" They yelled, as both of them refused to let go of the Nugget Holy Grail. 

"Sorry man, but I got here first! The Dinos are mine." Eren yanked the box away from Armin. 

"You won't believe the day I've had, I deserve these nuggets way more than you!" Armin grabbed at it, but Eren held the box over his head. 

"That's real mature. Make fun of the stranger for his height. My first graders are more well behaved than you!" Armin smacked Eren's arm and dove on the box as it fell to the ground. 

“To hell with your first graders! Did you get fired today? No, so give me the damn box!” Eren kicked the box away from Armin and snatched it from the dusty white floor. Triumphant, Eren began to walk off when Armin burst into tears. 

“Oh shit, uh-” Eren stood in the aisle confused and suddenly quite nauseous. “Dude don't… don't do that come on, uh,” he really wanted these nuggets. They both did.

He sighed and handed over the box, “Here, you need them more than me.” Armin wiped his face and looked up at the box, and Eren as he started to walk off, empty-handed and considering McDonald's. 

“Hey, wait,” Armin grabbed Eren’s hand. “I’m Armin, wanna eat these together? Maybe with some ice cream too?” 

Eren shook his head, “No, no that's okay. But thanks.” He gave Armin a smile. Armin’s heart burst.

“Ah, alright. I'll just go back to my apartment and eat these alone. All 28…” _He’s gorgeous, of course he doesn’t want to eat these with you,_ Armin thought. 

“I _am_ really hungry.” Eren said, noticing Armin’s slightly pouting lips, “and McDonald's makes me nauseous… so why not?” Eren was about to go to a _strangers_ house (a cute stranger, but a stranger nonetheless!) and eat _chicken nuggets_ and for some reason this didn't surprise him at all. “I'm Eren, by the way.”

The cute factor was very heavily over weighing the stranger part. 

The pair made their way to Armin's apartment down the street and were met with tons of boxes in the hall and on the floor. “What's with the boxes?” Eren asked. The whole walk over they talked about how Armin was a student teacher at an elementary school and that day he came in to find out the teacher he had been working with died. Eren wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to pat his back, so he only offered condolences. 

My roommate is moving out to live with his fiancé Armin sighed. He turned to Eren and said, rolling his eyes. “His fiancé is my ex.”

Eren’s jaw dropped, “Oh God, that sucks.” Eren said, unable to imagine a friend doing that to him, “when did you find out?” 

“Two days ago, but i “met” him this morning and found out the truth. He never told my roommate we dated for three years.” Armin heard his voice crack, his eyes started to water just thinking about it. He was so head over heels for Marco from the very first time they met and for Marco, Armin was just a test. Marco passed, but Armin didn't.

Eren’s mind was buzzing. _Did he say_ “he?” _I mean there’s nothing wrong with that at all, I’m just.. he’s.. He has the chicken nuggets, that’s all that matters._ He was desperate, for both food and affection.

“Today has been the worst.” Armin said, snapping Eren out of his head. “Mine too.” He sighed. Armin had his guest stay on the couch while he put the breaded beauties in the oven. “So Eren, wanna talk about it?”

“Well first,” he got right into it, “my landlord gave me a week to find a new apartment, i had to bike to work because I missed the bus and i was so stressed. At work--I worked at Sully’s Superstore on the corner of Rose Road and Maria Street--I did returns there and today was especially horrible. I told off a customer yelling at my friend over a three year old used pot she wanted to return. When my manager, Auruo, yelled at me I called him an asshole and he fired me before I could say I quit.” 

“That sounds really horrible, I’m so sorry.” Armin got very serious and said, “I’m boycotting that store forever now.” 

Eren laughed, “Don't worry, I'm kinda glad it’s over, but how can I find a place to live without a job?” 

Armin stared at the glowing oven for a minute while they sat in the first awkward silence they had. “ Well… I can help you with the apartment thing! I've got a spare bedroom with your name on it.” 

Eren felt his face get hot and he smiled, “You don't even know my last name.”

“What's your last name?” 

“Jaeger.” 

“Okay Eren Jaeger, I, Armin Arlert, am offering you a place to live and help pay the rent.” 

Eren’s smile left his face, “I don't even have a job, how can I pay rent?” 

Armin paused. He had a point. Who knew how long Eren would be unemployed and this apartment was nice. Armin wasn't thinking straight. Eren had these gorgeous grey eyes that when reflected by the light created flecks of teal. 

_I'm too gay._ Armin thought. 

“I’m sure you'll find something soon. I can help with that too!” Armin sat next to his potential roommate and smiled. 

Eren hid his blushing cheeks from Armin and looked down at his hands in his lap, thinking over the offer. 

“No need to decide right away,” Armin said reassuringly. He got up to check on the chicken nuggets.

He frowned into the oven and turned around to sneak a peek at Eren, only to find him hurriedly looking away from him. Armin had a good feeling about this.

 _Ding!_ The chicken nuggets were ready.


	2. Chapter 2

For an hour they sat and talked about everything they could find in common, from favorite food to political opinions. The chicken nuggets ended up unfinished on the plate. There was something off about the paper white meat and some pieces had suspicions black spots covering the breaded exterior. If either had been alone with them, they both probably would've eaten the plate without thinking and gotten sick. But just talking to each other was enough to mend the bad day.

Eren hadn't stopped smiling the whole time they talked, considering all the great things about Armin and this cute apartment with it’s sun yellow and green walls and dark wood floors covered by layered carpets. He couldn't imagine himself finding somewhere better to go, but he doubted it would ever work out for them in anyway.

Armin was just about to tell Eren how great it would be to have him when the door opened.

“Hey Armin!” His old roommate stuck his head around the door. “I came to drop off the keys and get the rest of my stuff.” A tall man with sandy brown hair and permanent smirk threw a set of keys on the kitchen counter. He almost missed Eren completely.

“Oh,” Armin stood, “hi Jean, uh, is Marco with you?” Armin asked. Eren looked over at Armin now cleaning up the spotless table.

Ignoring Armin’s question, Jean asked, “Who’s this?”

Before Eren could say anything, Armin answered for him, “Oh, this is Eren. He might be moving in!” 

“Well aren’t you lucky.” Jean winked at Eren. Armin laughed a bit and Eren tried so hard to contain his smile. Jean stuck out a hand, “I’m Jean, Armin’s old roommate. Nice to meet you.”

Jean proceeded to his old bedroom to collect some more boxes.

“So yes, that's Jean, the shoes you’ll have to fill if you stay.” Armin joked. “I'm not pushing this whole moving in thing, right?”

“No no, not at all don't worry.” Eren wished he didn't feel so embarrassed. He would've loved to live here with Armin, but he didn't feel right not having a job or making the decision so soon. Armin was so nice. He must've been the nicest person Eren met in a long time. Just being around Armin for a few hours made him feel more hopeful than he had in awhile.

Another knock at the door, already open anyway, made Armin visibly tense up.

Another man waltzed into the room, face full of freckles and neatly combed black hair. The type of guy to definitely always do stupid things with good intentions. Eren looked at him--tall, classically handsome, and well dressed--and felt like half the man he was. He took a wild guess that this was Marco and wished he wasn't wearing sweatpants.

“Hello Marco.” Armin casually said without even looking up from the table.

“How's it going Armin?” Marco had a sympathetic tone dripping all over his words. He waved hello to Eren, “I'm Marco, Jean’s fiancé. And you are..?”

“Eren, I uh,” _choose your words wisely,_ “I might be moving in.” He said, looking over at Armin. His face hadn't changed.

Marco nodded his approval, “Well, that was fast.”

“I could say the same to you.” Armin snapped up his head and sat back down next to Eren.

Marco sighed. “Armin… Look, I don't want--”

“You don't want to do this to Jean. I get it. Whatever, I'm over it anyway.” Armin was fidgety with his shirt sleeves under the table. When Marco turned around, Eren gave him a quick smile and Armin seemed grateful he was there.

“Hey help me with these boxes!” Jean said from his old room. Marco ran over and they brought the rest into the hall.

“Alright well, looks like that's it,” Jean said, looking around the room one more time. He turned to Armin, “I’m gonna miss you man.”

The door shut and they were gone. Armin tried hard not to cry in front of Eren again. They sat in silence for about three minutes before Eren’s phone burst into the chorus of a German Rock song. Redder than a rose, Eren jumped out of his seat and said it was his sister.

“I should probably go!” He said apologetically over the lyrics. Armin frantically searched for a pen to write with and grabbed a napkin to write his phone number.

“Um, call me, if you want the room I mean. And uh, if you don't you can call me anyway.” He said, handing over the napkin.

Eren smiled, thanked him, and ran out of the door to answer his sister.

Armin went over to his couch and buried his face in the cushions to block out the noise and light from outside. It was going to be a long night.


	3. Chapter 3

Eren spent the walk home being yelled at over the phone by his slightly older sister Mikasa about the apartment.

“Eren…” She said, tiredly, “you _need_ to be more responsible with your money. You have to pay on time!” It wasn't just a matter of money, Eren didn't keep his apartment very clean. He wasn't in it that often anyway so it never mattered to him. Things were much easier before his roommate Reiner moved in with his friend, Bernie? Berthot? Bertrude? Whatever. Eren hated the guy for stealing such a great roommate.

But now here was Armin. He was cute, funny, emotional, smart, and _asked Eren to call him!_ He already had such a crush, but he didn't tell Mikasa that.

Nobody knew Eren was gay. None of his friends, family, (ex) co workers, no one. He just never knew how to say it in a way to not make anyone uncomfortable. It sure made him uncomfortable just thinking about making someone uncomfortable.

In the comfort of his home, Armin paced around his room staring at the phone on the bed. _Will he call tonight? Is he gonna text me? He seems like more of a texting guy. I hope he texts me._

He desperately waited for a sign. It might take Eren a _week_ to answer him. But he didn't actually have that kind of time to waste.

“Well you see there's this guy…” Eren breathed through the phone.

“To move in with? You found someone already?” Mikasa interrupted.

“Uh yeeah, we met in the supermarket today and he's really nice! He's in need of a roommate and I'm in need of a place.”

“So when do you move in?” Eren could literally hear Mikasa packing her bag to drive down and help him.

“I haven't said yes yet...not exactly.”

There was a long pause. “Eren, I swear to GOD you better call him tonight and accept that offer. I love you but have some initiative!” And she hung up.

Eren buried his hands in his face and sat down on his couch. He had arrived home and started cleaning thinking about Armin while on the phone. Eren has had crushes before, but nothing like this. He had never fallen for someone this fast, with so little information on them. He was a little… scared? Shocked? Excited?? It was all too much.

Armin too was in a rough state too. He wanted Eren to live with him for selfish reasons, shameful reasons. He was so lonely without Jean and seeing Marco again didn't make him feel any better. He just wanted a shoulder to cry on, maybe some thoughtful kisses or even just a hug.

Eren had the sweetest smile. Armin held his phone in his hand and stared at the ceiling some more, lying down on his neatly made bed. As he fell asleep, the phone dropped to the floor.

Eren had started packing. He needed a place. He would find a job as soon as he moved in, right? First step was moving in. He repeated that to himself for a bit. A notification appeared on his phone. It had nothing to do with Armin or moving out or even Mikasa but he felt the urge to call Armin to tell him the plan.

_Ring…..riiiinng…...Ring ringg….Beep. This is Armin’s cell, please leave a message. Beeep._

“Oh um, hey Armin, I guess you’re asleep or something so… sorry for bothering you! This is Eren by the way. Goodnight.”

He hung up and sunk to the floor. “Nevermind,” he thought. “Just nevermind.”

The next morning Armin wished he could slap himself from last night awake. He missed a call from _EREN._ He couldn’t even listen to the voicemail, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He saved the number in his phone and waited until it was past 10 am to call back.

_Ring ring….. ringy.. .. RING DING ring. Beeeep. This user is not available right now. Please leave a message. Beep._

“Hey Eren! I’m really sorry I missed your call yesterday, I fell asleep haa ha. So I guess I could text you in a bit to see what’s going on but you can totally call me back again if you’d like! Okay, talk to you soon, bye!”

Armin groaned and whined, he felt so dumb. He wished he had been awake more than anything.

Eren wished he hadn’t. He saw Armin was calling and decided not to answer until he found a job. This quest became a lot harder than he thought. But Eren wasn’t going to move in that cute apartment with that cute boy until he had a job. Whether it was at a gas station, grocery store, or as a waiter, he would take anything.

Not a lot of stores wanted to hire Eren. Apparently, Auruo had talked to a few department store managers and word got around that Eren was an irresponsible thief who tried to harass customers. As soon as they saw him, Eren was immediately escorted out.

As for the city’s restaurants, no one needed _more_ servers. At least none of the places that paid enough or didn’t make you do something ridiculous when you presented the food.

All throughout the next few days Eren painfully ignored Armin. He texted him “Good morning :)” twice and once during the day “I hope I’m not being too much :0.” Truth is, he wasn’t being enough. If Armin had tried to text him more Eren probably would’ve texted back because they were so cute. These texts made him smile and get through the day. After rejections.

Finally, on Tuesday (they met on Friday) Eren found his calling. He had never pictured himself to be the type but here he was.

Armin was trying to manage the class of crying grieving first graders with the substitute teacher, Ms. Ral, when he looked down at his phone to see:

_One new text from Eren </3: what time does class en? _

_One new text from Eren </3: end* sorry _

Armin smiled so hard that half the students noticed and demanded to know what it was. One asked if he had games on his phone.

“Is it that guy?” Ms. Ral asked, raising an eyebrow. Armin nodded and started to text back when she took the phone from him. “He kept you waiting for days, make him wait a few hours.”

She reminded the phoneless first graders that there were NO phones allowed in class, and Armin waited until lunch.

 _3:30, why?_ he answered coolly.

_expect a cab at the front of the school to get you home….. :)_

A cab? Armin had never been wooed like this.

At 3:30, Armin cleaned up quicker than he ever had after school and raced to the front of the school. He stood on the steps waiting and felt like he was in a strange movie. When a yellow taxi cab pulled up, he felt like the audience was yelling at him not to get in.

He walked down and the window rolled down. The man with a hat pulled down over his face said in a strange German accent, “Are you zhe Armin Arlert I have been called for?”

“Yeees I am,” Armin smiled and got in the back seat. “May I ask your name, sir?”

“Call me Jaeger, Eren Jaeger.” Eren took off the hat and smiled at Armin. “I’m a taxi driver! Can you believe it?”

Armin wished he could kiss Eren’s dumb smiling face but thought that might be a little too much. “Congratulations, Eren. Soo…”

Eren held up a hand, “Okay, before you say anything else i want to apologize.”

“I felt really guilty about moving in without a job so I spent the past few days looking up jobs and getting rejected and I didn’t want to answer you until I had something. I’m really sorry, I should’ve told you. Can I still move in or do you hate my guts?”

Armin paused, pretending to think it over. “I mean… I guess… if you _really_ want to.” They paused.

“I’m only joking, I would love for you to move in.” Armin quickly said after. Eren happily drove them home and called Mikasa when they got there. She told him her bags were already packed and she was leaving tomorrow morning.

“I think I have some extra sheets if you want to stay here tonight?” Armin said. He had immediately forgiven Eren for the last few days and was ready to start their relationship. As roommates, or course. Although Eren wouldn't mind something bigger…

“I shouldn't,” Eren sighed, “we both have work tomorrow and Mikasa will be waiting at my old apartment. I think I’ll just wait until Friday.” _Stupid, stupid just stay, you’ll have to eventually._

“I get it, you're right,” Armin forcibly smiled through his disappointment.

He showed Eren out and watched the cab drive off.

_One new text from Eren !!: im really excited to live with u._

_Don’t text and drive, dummy!!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yes, there it is. Finally I present to you the "AU where your OTP meet fighting over the last box of chicken nuggets" fic. I hope it was good so far, I hope you liked it, and I promise that if you did, MORE WILL COME SOON !! I already have things planned out it was just a matter of time but hey, this was fun to write. Happy Birthday bro, i love ya!


	4. Chapter 4

Mikasa arrived at 6 am on the dot and woke up Eren with a hard pinch on the arm.

“Hey! What...how did you get in?” Eren was having trouble controlling his thoughts so early. He slid out of bed and watched Mikasa silently take his sheets and blanket off to pack them away.

“You’re getting out of this place before six o’clock tonight.” Eren groaned and tried to protest but Mikasa wouldn’t have it. “I’m giving us _more_ than enough time.” So right after breakfast, they cleaned and packed up the kitchen.

Eren didn’t have a lot of things, but whatever he did have was shoved into corners, under tables and behind furniture, making it hard to figure out when they were finished packing books or toiletries.

Clothes were slowly being sorted and placed into their boxes, some delicately folded by Eren and others turned into balls by Mikasa.

Time didn't quite fly by but to Eren’s surprise, they finished by three. Everything was packed into Mikasa’s car (“We are NOT wasting money on a truck.”) and Eren hoped that was the last he would see of his old apartment.

Armin stood outside the building eagerly awaiting Eren’s arrival. He helped move boxes but didn’t bother try to unpack, Mikasa had it under strict control.

While Armin was in the living room ordering pizza, Eren glanced out his new bedroom door and let out a small laugh.

“What’s funny?” Mikasa immediately asked.

“Oh no it’s nothing,” Eren shook his head, “just that you an Armin have like, the same haircut.”

“We do not!” Mikasa looked where Armin sat on the counter, brushing his chin length blond hair out of eyes. Mikasa held her tongue and turned back to Eren, her own short black hair swinging with her. “Okay maybe a little,” she confessed.

“So does he have a woman haircut or do I have a gay man’s haircut?” She laughed at her own joke, but Eren didn’t remember ever telling her that Armin was gay.

 

After the pizza Mikasa had to get going. She gave Eren a tight hug and shook Armin’s hand, thanking him for his kindness. The two were left alone for the first time as roommates.

“Soo,” Armin said, feeling shier than he first was with Eren, “what should we do?”

What did roommates do their first night together? Eren ran through possibilities in his head, from hanging out at a bar, watching a movie, getting high off the sweeet smell of pizza, making out-

_Nah, no, not that. Don’t suggest that._

“We could go out?” Eren ended up suggesting. “Like to a bar or something. I would like that.” More like he would love that. The perfect place for Eren to really act like a cool guy who knows his place was any bar on this coast.

Armin, eager to please, agreed, although it had been awhile since he sat in a bar and had some drinks.

They grabbed their jackets and head out to “bond” like “bros.”

The pair ended up in the Rosewall Pub & Grill, five blocks from their apartment.

Inside the lights were dim and a band playing indie rock graced the stage. The tables were full of young customers, to the older bartender's displeasure, who were singing along and laughing. Two seats at the bar opened up when they walked in, which Eren immediately claimed. This was his scene.

He ordered himself a bottle of Heineken and coolly looked over at Armin as if to say, “what'll you have?”

“Uuh, Armin desperately looked around for a menu but they didn’t seem to have any at this place. “I’ll have what he said.” Armin was immediately intimidated by Eren’s overall ease by the situation. He was just about to make a comment about the music when their drinks were slapped down on the bar.

Armin thanked the bartender and reached for the closest bottle to them, wanting to grab one first. Eren had the same idea. Their thumbs brushed each other slightly but eren pulled away quickly, almost knocking over the bottle. Armin caught it and held it close to his mouth without taking a sip.

“Sorry,” eren breathed out through a strained laugh. Armin nodded. “The band is really cool.”

“Yeah!” Eren drained half of the ice cold bottle in one sip. “I’ve never seen them before but i really like these songs.”

“They’re all covers,” Armin said, carefully taking a sip and using both hands without realizing.

Eren noticed and smiled but didn’t say anything to make fun of him. “So you like this kind of music?” Eren asked.

“Kind of, yeah.” Armin nodded. “I’m not super into music but i like how it feels… old and weird.” Armin realized he must’ve sounded like a pretentious ass, “Sorry I sound super lame.”

Eren smiled even more and shook his head, “No not all, I know exactly what you mean.” Talking about music, although neither really cared about it that much, was better than lampposts.

Eren realized that he moved in with  a stranger. Sure, their first real conversation they learned they were both liberals and agreed on almost everything political but so did most people their age.  But Eren couldn’t remember most of the things they talked about that first day after not talking for almost a week.

“Okay,” Eren said as the music centered conversation grew dry, “we don’t really know that much about each other.”

Armin listened intently, hands folded in his lap. “Yeeah?”

“So I think tonight we should just talk about anything. Don’t be afraid to ask any questions or mention anything let’s just see how much we can learn about each other in one night.”

Eren noticed Armin’s slight shock, “Too much? If you think it’s a bad idea.. I mean i was just saying but-”

“No! No i like it! I hate awkwardly getting to know people!” Armin quickly reassured Eren, placing a hand on the space above his arm. He pulled back and took another small sip of beer. He didn’t want to admit he hated the bitter taste.

Eren smiled, the orangey glow of the bar made him look like an angel to Armin. “Okay, sweet! So, where do we start?”

“How about something light,” Armin thought, “like where did you grow up?”

At first they discussed their childhoods in quiet suburban areas and how they came to the city, their dreams for the future and what they wanted to be as a kid. They laughed at their nerdy younger selves and shared pictures from their freshman year at college.

“What did you major in?” Armin asked. Eren sighed and leaned back on the bar, beer in hand. He was on his third, while Armin still had half of his first to go.

“I’m a big believer in equality and thought that Political Science would be a good idea for me in high school, but I haven’t been able to find a job in that field just yet.”

“When did you graduate?”  

“Last May.” Eren glanced out of the window to the fallen leaves lying around the base of the trees lining the street.

“Something will come soon, I’m sure!” Armin said.

“Well, i’ll have the chance to meet lots of new people tomorrow when my job officially starts as a cab driver.” He said sarcastically, flipping his hair dramatically. They both laughed at the thought.

“What about you?” He asked Armin.

“I studied Marine Biology for a while but I switched to Elementary Education after seeing a bunch of kids on a field trip with this super mean, bossy teacher. Kids should have someone fun and sweet teaching them so early on! I still took lots of science classes though.

You already know this but I’ve been studying as a student teacher and it’s _rough._ Being a teacher is hard as hell!” Eren laughed at the thought or Armin running around grading papers and trying not to lose small children.

“No! It’s not even funny!” Armin was laughing too, “I’m super serious right now it like, _sucks_. And i’m not making any money doing it either, so I’ve had to start thinking about getting another job!”

“Let’s get matching jobs,” Eren joked, “do friends do that?”

Armin laughed, shaking his head, “I think that’s the high school dream, but I hate driving.” He noticed Eren call them friends and a mix of joy and disappointment filled him. Mostly joy.  

“In all seriousness, I have a friend who says she’ll get me a job. Could you handle working at a bakery?” Armin asked Eren.

“Hell yes, as long as I get half the shit I bake!” Eren was slowly loosening up, as was Armin. Eren could tell because he moved on to a drink he was more comfortable with without feeling too embarrassed.

Armin took another sip of his Long Island Iced Tea, “I promise I’ll bring home some for you on the weekends.”

Eren checked his phone. The bar around them had gotten quieter after the band finished around ten and more people left. Now it was closer to 12:30 but they weren’t tired.

Bored of the bar, they paid and headed back home. Filled with liquid confidence and feeling a little stupid, Armin almost reached for Eren’s hand. He caught himself and they merely brushed each other, a simple accident.

The walk home was much more lively as they loudly joked back and forth about the grumpy bartender and how pretentious the band seemed after their only-covers set.

Once inside the apartment, after fumbling with the keys for a good five minutes, Eren heated up the leftover pizza and they stayed up until 1 am watching _Shark Tank_ reruns.

“So glad I don’t have school tomorrow,” Armin sighed after a young inventor was rejected for basically a knock off Dustbuster. Armin gasped, “But YOU do!!” He pushed Eren up off the couch “It is time for bed mister!”

Eren laughed, playing along he said, “Noo, just five more minutes!!”

Armin pulled him up, “Absolutely not young man. YOU’RE out.”  

They burst into late night laughter and with that, Eren said goodnight and climbed into bed. If this was going to be what living with Armin was like, he couldn't be happier.

In the other room Armin fell into bed and replayed the night in his head, smiling to the ceiling. He rolled over and buried his face in the sheets to control himself but nothing helped! Everything was going to work out just fine. It had to.

Armin got himself ready for bed and was about to turn out the light when he got a text. He expected it to be Eren and happily snatched the phone off his dresser. He saw who it was from and immediately his stomach turned to mush.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Birthday kid, i hope you don't mind it's unfinished right now but as my gift to you it actually WILL get done. I hope you liked it :)


End file.
